Chance
by dragneel-san
Summary: Lucy proposes to play a game with Natsu... A game that'll decide if there will be one less person living in Magnolia, or, if Natsu succeeds, not. A NaLu one-shot. TRIGGER WARNING: suicide and thoughts of suicide. Just thought that it would be helpful to people like me.


**It's another NaLu!**

**I can't stop writing about the two of them, they're just so cute! (#scute, if you know where that's from ^_^)**

**Now, to the more serious stuff.**

**TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide and thoughts of suicide**

**I guess I thought of this after I had my sort of "break down" with my depression.**

**But if you are struggling with the same thing that I was, please don't be afraid to message me. I'll always try to help.**

**I guess I could say to enjoy (don't worry, it has a happy ending).**

* * *

"Hello?"

"Natsu, it's me."

"Oh hey, Lucy! What's up?"

"Well, let's play a game."

"Sure! I'll come over right now! Are you at your apartment?"

"No, it's a game to find me."

"What? A game to find you?"

"Yup, a game to find me before I kill myself."

* * *

**Natsu**

I never really noticed the change in her behavior. Maybe it was because I was really dense, I didn't know. Or maybe it was so small that even I couldn't notice it, being her best friend. After all, she did smile as much as she usually did and acted as she normally did at school.

So when she proposed the game, I was shocked. Really, I was. I hadn't expected her to be like this. But I had to stop her, at all costs.

Pressing the phone closer to my ear, I asked, "Ok, so I just find you?"

"Nope! There's rules to this game as well, just like any other game." Damn, how could she sound so cheery in a situation like this? "There are three main rules. Rule one: no calling the police. I'll know if you do, so don't even try sneaking a call! Rule number two: do as I tell you to. I'll be making you go to various places in the city and at each of those places, I'll give you a hint to the place I'm at, ok? And last but not least, the third rule: after I give you all the hints, you have exactly one hour to find me. If you come to the place even a minute late, I'll kill myself. Is everything clear?" Her voice had suddenly taken a darker tone in the last two sentences.

Taking a deep breath, I braced myself. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright! The game begins!" Her happy-go-lucky voice was back, making me wonder if she really meant what she had said. "The first destination, Magnolia High School! Make it into the administration's office in fifteen minutes to get your hint! Ok, bye!"

"Wait!" I yelled into the phone. "F-fifteen minutes? That's impossi-" She hung up, leaving me to run like I'd never ran before in my life.

"Lucy!" I yelled and burst into the school office, only to be greeted with silence and confused stares of the staff. Checking the clock on my phone, I was utterly confused. I made it here on time. Where was the first hint?

Just then, the telephone rang and the secretary picked it up. "Hello? Yes. Ok. Yeah, he's right here. You want to talk to him? Sure." She held out the receiver to me and I hurriedly took it.

"Lucy?"

"Wow, you made it!" She cried and I let out a frustrated breath.

"Lucy, this isn't funny. Now where's my hint?"

I heard her giggle. "Now, now. Don't be so impatient. Here's the first clue: people come here every day."

…

"What!?" I shouted, causing another silence in the office. "That could be anywhere! You know how many people there are in Magnolia!"

She laughed again. "Tsk, tsk! Natsu, if you really want to find me, then you shouldn't complain about my hints! Are you ready? 'Cause here's the next location! Run to the Magnolia shopping district in thirty minutes!"

Almost throwing the receiver back to the secretary, I cursed under my breath and sprinted out the door. Magnolia shopping district… that wasn't too far, and I had thirty minutes. I could make it!

Stumbling into the square, I frantically looked around for anything that could be used as the next thing for Lucy to use to give me the next clue. Anything, just anything! Just then, a payphone near me started to ring. Turning around, I stared at it. No way. How far ahead had this girl planned all this!? To the extent of getting the number of a mere payphone!

Running over, I hastily picked up the phone and pressed it against my ear. "Hello!? Lucy!?"

Hearing giggles on the other side, Lucy sighed and said, "Congratulations! You passed the second part! Now for your hint."

I readied myself, making sure that I wouldn't miss any part of it. When I had enough information, I had to get to where she was, fast. "Alright, what is it?"

"It's on the east side of the city."

Frustrated, but otherwise somewhat relieved, my hopes were lifted. This cut the possibilities of where she could be by half. East side… That was where I was at the moment. "Where's the next place?"

She laughed again. "Yay! Already catching onto the game, are you? Well that's good. I don't want to repeat myself over and over again. Here's the next location: the place we first met; I hope you haven't forgotten, have you? 'Cause it's all over if you don't make it in time. Twenty minutes for this one. Go!"

Hanging up, I headed for the playground near our neighborhood. Of course I remembered. How could I forget? The first time I saw that fourteen year old girl who sat crying on the swings. I'd always seen her there before, but now, I guessed that she had never noticed me. She seemed lonely, so I had decided to approach her that one day. And now, three years later, I was that girl's best friend.

I grit my teeth at the thought. Best friend, yeah right. If I were really her best friend, then I would've known that something was bothering her. What kind of useless guy was I, not even knowing if his best friend was suffering all by herself?

Stopping to catch my breath, I looked around at the playground. Three years had passed and boy, it sure did look tiny. I also noticed that there wasn't any payphone of some sort around. How was she going to call?

Right away, I heard a beeping noise coming from the playground. Curious to what it could be, I took a look around and found a flip phone sitting on swing that I had first talked to Lucy on. She really could be sentimental at times. Picking it up, I opened it and pressed the green call button. "Hello?"

"You remembered!" She cried and my heart fell.

"Did you really think that I'd forget?" I muttered, disappointed that she had lost faith in me.

There was a slight pause. "Well-"

I sighed, a little upset over what she thought of me. "It's ok. What's the next hint?"

"Uh, ok. I can see the club from here. You know the one called Fairy Tail, the one we used to sneak into. That one."

I couldn't help but smile. I could recall the first time we snuck into there. We had used fake IDs we stole from our friends and hoped that the person checking wouldn't notice. Man, did we have the time of our lives! We had made sure to stay away from the bar and just had fun dancing. I chuckled at the memories. That was the place we had our first kiss, wasn't it…

I had always liked Lucy. I thought that she was the prettiest of all the girls that I'd met. She had these gorgeous chocolate eyes and soft golden hair. She was kind, unlike some at our school and seemed to respect everyone no matter who they were. But she always seemed so lonely, so desolate. Maybe that was what drew me towards her; I didn't know.

Another thing I didn't know was why she had been avoiding me so much after our kiss at that club. I thought that we would be together afterwards, but we weren't. She avoided me for a few days, and then everything went back to how it was before we had the kiss. I was so confused. And hurt. I didn't understand why, but she didn't want acknowledge the fact that I liked her. It was like a friend zone, but more of a silently proclaimed one than ever.

"Alright. Yeah, I remember." I said softly and silence could be heard on the other side. Was she thinking about the same thing? Did she even care about that at all? "Where's it next?"

I heard her let out a shaky breath. "The next place…" Her voice was trembling. Was she crying? I hated when she cried. If there was anything in this world that I hated, I hated seeing her in pain and crying. "The next place is the park where we spent our first Christmas. Fifteen minutes." And with that, she hung up.

Setting the flip phone back where I'd found it, I got up to get to the next destination. The first few places where random, with no meaning whatsoever. But now, she was getting sentimental, wasn't she? I could tell. She didn't want to leave.

Getting to the park five minutes early, I looked up at the giant oak tree that towered over anyone who passed by. This was where we had exchanged our first gifts to each other. Smiling, I reached up and touched the scarf around my neck. Lucy had given me this scarf. She had been worried that I wouldn't like it, since she saw as "simplistic and cheap."

I had never treasured a gift so much in my life.

Feeling my phone buzz, I dug it out of my pocket and picked it up. "Lucy?"

"Natsu? Are you under the tree?" Man, her voice didn't sound like what it did before. It sounded broken and scratchy, like she had been screaming and crying for a while. Maybe she had been. I wasn't even there to comfort her. How could I ever know?

Nodding and sighing, I sat down and leaned against the old tree. "Yeah, I am. Magnolia's park with the Hundred Year Tree. Hint?"

I heard a car go by in the background before she said, "Well, you could say that if you came here, you'd be walking on air."

I slapped my hand on my forehead and sighed. What the hell was that supposed to mean? "Ok, next?"

"Next is the subway. You know where that is, right?"

I almost laughed. Just because I didn't take it as much as her didn't mean that I didn't even know where the subway was. "Yeah. I'm not that dumb."

She chuckled and sighed. "Yeah, what am I thinking? Sorry. Ten minutes."

The first time we had ridden the subway together, we got lost on which stops to get off on. We had both fallen asleep and missed our destination. Deciding that getting off on the next one and figuring out which train to take next was the best idea, we got on and off of trains non-stop, trying to get back to where we were originally going. In the end, we had just gone around and around in circles, either going too far or too short in our rides on the trains. And even though our whole trip had been ruined, it had still been a blast and a funny memory to look back at.

It was getting close to rush hour and the underground passageways of the subways were packed. With this many people around, I didn't know how Lucy was going to get to me, other than the payphones that were there. Waiting by them, I listened carefully over the din for a ring. And got one.

"Hello?"

"Here's the next hint." She went straight to the matter. "Literally speaking, if I looked up, I see the sky. Figuratively speaking, if I fell right now, I'd also fall into the sky."

I sighed. Another weird hint. "Where to next?"

She giggled. "There isn't another place."

"What!?"

"You have to find me now."

"But you-"

"You have an hour. Starting, now."

* * *

**Lucy**

Hearing Natsu's voice complaining in a tiny little sound from my phone, I hung up and sighed, swinging my legs back and forth. I'd had been sitting on this railing for a while now, but the most that people ever did was stare for a quick moment and go on their way.

Tapping on the clock app, I opened a stopwatch and started the time. One hour, before I would end everything.

Looking down, I stared down at the blue waves beneath me. So it all came down do this, huh. Was I really prepared? Or had I done all this because deep down inside, I really didn't want to die?

A wave of agony washed itself over my heart, causing me to clutch at my chest. This pain, I'd been dealing with it for quite some time now. But I didn't want anyone to notice, since it would become troublesome if anyone did. Even Natsu didn't seem to see that anything was wrong.

When Natsu first talked to me, my downward spiral had already begun. People at school would make fun of me for being abandoned by my mother and hated by my father. No one wanted to talk to me or even acknowledge that I was a human being like the rest of them. I had already been thinking about suicide, and had been wondering if everything would become ok if I was gone.

But then Natsu came along, and he was… different. He didn't seem to notice how everyone began avoiding him once he started talking to me. He was the first to sit next to me during lunch, walk with me during passing time, and even hang out with me after school ended.

At first, I didn't want anything to do with him. He was just an annoying kid who grinned too much and had bright pink hair. But no matter how many times I'd tried to ignore him, he just kept coming back and following me around. I didn't understand the kid. Why did he want to be my friend so much?

"Lucy, Lucy~!" He'd skip down the hallways, singing my name whenever class ended and stop by my locker. People would stare and whisper, wondering whatever was wrong with the boy. "Are you going to talk to me today? Hm? Are you? Please say yes!" Every day, he would ask me the same question, only to get the same answer from me.

I shook my head.

"Aww." And then he would frown, crestfallen, and stick his lower lip out in a cute, I had to admit, pout. After this, he'd turn away and walk back to his own locker. Well, maybe not today.

"Hey, Natsu."

That was when everything started.

Natsu was the first friend that I had ever had in a while. He didn't seem to care that I was an outcast and that he was slowly making himself one by associating himself with me. Little by little, I started to like his company more and more. And little by little, I emerged from my little shell of isolation and became like a normal person.

That was, until the kiss.

I thought that sneaking into the club would be fun, like any other kid would do. I just wanted to dance and have a good time, be careful of the bar and have the time of my life.

Natsu that idiot, why did he have to kiss me!?

I had already made my mind up before I'd met him. That I would be gone soon. When I decided to finally talk to him, I reasoned that I'd at least make this kid happy, then be on my way to wherever people went when they died. Three years. Three years was the amount of time that I determined to be the most I'd spend with him.

But on that dance floor, surrounded by so many others, he took the opportunity to cup my face in his hands, draw me close, and put his lips to mine. I didn't know how to respond. I didn't expect for such a thing to happen. I just wanted to be of some worth to making someone's life better, and just leave. But when he kissed me, a storm that had been dormant for three years was stirred up again and I found myself in an internal conflict with myself.

Do I stay, or do I ignore what happened and leave? Do I tell him first or do I not? Do I sort out these complications in my head first or do I just jump off a building without knowing what to do?

I didn't want to admit it, but I liked him. I liked him and I had unknowingly fallen for the goofy grin and warmth of his presence. I hadn't known, but I was actually relieved when he confessed to me afterwards. I hadn't known, but I really wanted to be with him.

And the other side that clashed against this was telling me to go. That everything that I loved eventually went away. My mother abandoned me, and my father hated me. My older brother was killed in an accident while driving home from work and my best friend was murdered in the middle of the night. Everyone that I'd truly loved were now far away from me, out of my reach. That was why I didn't want to talk to anyone, hold anyone dear, or become drawn to them. Because in the end, God would end up being a bitch and take them away from me.

I didn't want that happening to Natsu.

I really… did become too attached.

* * *

**Natsu**

I honestly had no idea where Lucy was. And I was starting to panic.

"Ok, east side of the city." I mumbled to myself and nodded. "Check."

"People come here every day." I sighed and gripped my hair in fists. "Dammit, that could be anywhere!"

Starting to run to seemingly nowhere, I talked to myself again. "She can see the club from there." Arriving at the said place, I looked around its surroundings. All the buildings around it were mostly five stories tall. That meant that Lucy had to be somewhere tall to have seen the club. "Ok, somewhere tall!"

"Walking on air… What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" I shouted, causing a few people to look over in shock. "There's no way that anyone can walk on air! That's impossible!"

Sighing in frustration, I thought of the last clue. "Falling into the sky? That's not possible either… Shit!" Fumbling for my phone, I went to check how much time I had left. Just as I was about to press the lock button, I froze. No. That would make me panic even more. I had to think this through carefully. What did she mean by "falling into the sky?"

Leaning against a nearby building, I stared down at the ground. East side, common place for people, see the club, walking on air, falling into the sky… There was no way that I could figure this out!

Starting to go crazy, I stared blankly at a puddle for a few moments. I watched the reflections of people's feet as they walked by, a few clouds passing as well.

Wait, clouds… Sky. Falling into the sky. Walking on air!

I grinned as all the hints fit together in my head. I knew where Lucy was.

It was time to run like hell again.

* * *

It all made sense. The only place that would fit all the hints were…

"The main bridge connecting two halves of the city, north and south." I said, approaching the blonde figure sitting on the railing, her legs swinging back and forth. "The only place in the east half of the city that was high enough to see Fairy Tail and be over a body of water." The figure didn't turn around. "I found you, Lucy."

It was only the two of us on the bridge. Most people were home by now, since the sun was just about done setting. It was peaceful and quiet, ironic, considering the situation that I was in.

She sighed and I could see her smile in the orange glow of sun. "Yeah, you did, Natsu." Raising her arm, she tossed something towards me. Upon catching it, I noticed that it was her phone, with the stopwatch opened. The time read, 1:10:59. My eyes grew wide. Shit. I'd taken too much time… Alarmed, I looked back up at her, afraid that she would jump at any moment into the river below. "But you're ten minutes late."

She sighed again and leaned forward, causing me to be on edge even more. "Wait, Lucy, I-" I took a step forward when she cut me off.

"Don't move another step from there."

"But-"

"You heard me, didn't you?"

I moved another step towards her. "Lucy, you don't-"

Suddenly she screamed, making me freeze and root my feet to where I was. She had her head ducked down, her bangs covering her eyes but I could see the tears streaming down her face. "I said, don't you _dare _move another step from there or I'll jump!"

Holding up my arms, I nodded, showing her that I meant no harm. "Ok. I won't. Just please, don't do it."

"You won't stop me."

"You know you don't want to."

"Bye."

In that split second, that crucial, little second, she pushed herself off, while I ran like I could have never ran before and reached down to grab her hand… just in time.

Breathing heavily, I held onto her hand tight, afraid that the slightest movement would cause me to lose her. I stayed like that for a moment, letting myself catch my breath and tighten my hold on her. "Why would you do this!?" I yelled, and saw her stare up at me with wide eyes, tears still pooling in them. "Why would you try to kill yourself and leave me all alone…? Just give it a chance! Just give life a chance and I swear, I won't make you regret it! So please, for me..." I trailed off as I felt something hot run down the side of my face. "Give it a chance." Silence ensued my exhortation and it felt like forever until Lucy started laughing. "You…" I stared at her, amazed. "How could you be laughing in such a situation?"

She took in a shaky breath and looked up at me. "You don't get it, do you? There is no other chance."

There she went again. "What are you talking about? Of course there is, I-"

I was interrupted yet again when she said quietly, "I already gave it a chance…" Then fresh tears began to fall in multitudes, falling down towards the river below us. Then she began to scream again. "Don't you get it!? I already gave life a chance! I gave life a chance, Natsu, and it was ten minutes late!"

My shoulders stiffened as I understood what she had just said. Life was given a chance and it was ten minutes late… I was the one to determine if she would decide to live or not. I'd been placed with that responsibility, but I'd failed. I'd failed Lucy. But I wasn't going to let go here. "I'm sorry, Lucy! I'm sorry I was late! It's just that I'm too dumb to figure out anything by myself and I really can't do anything without you. I'm sorry, I'll do anything! Just don't let go."

She closed her eyes, a sad smile flitting across her lips. "Apology accepted." She moved slightly, swinging her legs forward, and then back. She swung forward again, this time with more momentum, and landed her feet against the side of the bridge. Her eyes met mine for a moment; the brown, filled with sadness, anger, frustration and so much more mixed in staring into the onyx, full of fear and anxiety. "But I'm sorry too."

Time seemed to slow down for the both of us as she launched herself off the side, forcing her hand out of mine. My mouth opened, maybe to scream her name but I didn't hear anything. My whole body was numb and my ears felt like they were plugged as I watched her plunge into the dark waves. I couldn't believe it. My best friend, the girl I loved, my whole life; I watched as it all slipped out of my grasp.

"_Lucy!"_

* * *

**Lucy**

I couldn't swim, and I definitely knew that. I'd almost drowned when I was little, back when everything was all normal. Ever since, I stayed away from all bodies of water and never dared to go near a swimming pool, even when Natsu was around.

So when I made all the plans for this, I thought, why not, and did it.

Because there was no way that I'd come back from this.

It was perfect. I couldn't swim, and the impact of me falling fifty-some feet would definitely submerge me enough to drown. Everything was calculated with no flaws, an absolute fool-proof plan that would end with me leaving this world.

I could feel the water all around me. The blackness surrounding me, the invisible currents swirling around and pulling me under. My lungs burst as my body forced the carbon dioxide out of me, hoping to pull in sweet oxygen, only to have water to be pushed in as a substitute. I could literally feel the life draining from me, and it all felt like an eternity.

Warmth, was that what I was feeling? Was my brother there, and would I see my beloved friend? Were they waiting for me, with open arms, waiting to welcome to where they were?

"_Lucy!"_

There they were, calling out for me.

"_Lucy!"_

'I'm coming!' was what I wanted to shout, but couldn't seem to get myself to.

Then, I finally found my voice. "I-"

"Lucy, wake up!"

I felt a crushing force come down on my chest as whatever was inside my lungs came spewing back out my mouth. "Gah!" Gasping for breath, I turned over, coughing out the remaining water in my throat. Panting heavily and plopping back on my back, I shut my eyes closed for a moment. No. Had I really miscalculated? It couldn't be. Who would've thought…?

Peeking my eyes open, I saw the pink locks dripping water as Natsu leaned over me, his face that once held a pleading look now looking pissed and ready to kick someone's ass. He didn't say anything, just stayed hovering over me like a hummingbird over a flower. When it seemed obvious that he wouldn't say anything, I sighed and opened my mouth. "Natsu, you idiot…" Sitting up and wincing at the sharp pain in my head, I faced him again and said, "Who told you to res-"

Interrupted midsentence, I was almost choked again as he wrapped his arms around me tightly, his head buried into my shoulder and making his hair brush against my cheek. "What do you mean, who told me to rescue you!?" He screamed, his voice cracking and breaking off. "Why wouldn't I rescue you!? You're my best friend – no, scratch that. I love you! How could I just step aside and watch you kill yourself?" He took a breather and continued after pausing for a moment. "I could never live with myself afterwards."

Natsu. I hadn't expected him to jump over fifty feet to rescue me. After all that I'd done, to make sure that I wouldn't be able to come back, Natsu was the only thing that I'd underestimated.

The only thing I forgot in the fool-proof plan was the fool himself.

"You really are an idiot." Laughing lightly, I quickly wiped away the few tears that had escaped. "This was supposed to be fool-proof…"

He hugged me tighter, a sign that told me that he wasn't going to let me go, and that if he released his hold on me just a tiny bit, all that he could think that would happen was that I'd jump back into the water. "You're the idiot here." He muttered and sighed. "And I'll always be the fool who'll get in the way and stay by your side. I won't let anything like this ever happen again. I promise."

At that moment, it felt like all the pressure that had been piling up on top of my shoulders were gone. I felt like I could breathe again, that I could stand tall once more and not be ashamed of who I was. This feeling of bliss, I couldn't believe it. I hadn't felt such relief in years.

Lifting my shaking arms, I tentatively put them around Natsu, afraid for one moment, then hugging him as close as he was doing to me. This time, it was me that buried my face into his shoulder, and it was him that stared up at the dark sky that was beginning to be speckled with little stars.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise."

"Of course."

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**And again, if you're struggling with the same thing that I've been going through, please, please, please, PLEASE message me!**

**I want to help if possible!**

**And of course, leave reviews!**

**They are like cookies for meh ^~^**


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